may have to cancel flight and drive!!! help!!!

[mareb66297]

We are planning to fly from our home in pennsylvania to wdw in july. but the bad news is our dd, 4, needs to have her adenoid and tonsils out. we were all set for the operation but something came back in her blood work. her blood does not clot fast enough. so know were are in the process of having her tested to see why. of course the test results take 2-3 weeks!! so she may not be able to have the operation before we go, which means she can't fly!!! my question is has any one driven from pa to wdw? any tips, ideas, how long of a trip is it? this is so last minute that our heads are spinning!!! we will be travling with dd.18, ds 15, dd 4 ,dh and myslef. thinking about letting oldest dd and ds to fly. but we woudl have to leave days before them !!! nervous about that!! sorry the post is so long... very worried... want to make dd first trip to wdw the best!! thanks in advance fo all your help!!!!

 

[WDW4KIDS]

Driving from PA to WDW should take 16 hrs or so behind the wheel.Living here on L.I. NY I 've driven to the world 3 times.There are pros and cons to driving straight through and stopping overnight.My advice would be to drive the majority of the way and stop leaving yourself an easy 4-6 hr drive the next day.I've driven stright down and after 18 hrs I was wiped for several days after.Whatever you do I hope your daughter feels better and enjoy your stay at WDW.

 

[mareb66297]

thanks!! my dh will probably want to do that.. if it was up to him he would drive all the way non stop!! don't think i could handle that!!! one thing we know to do is stay away from I-95. we drove that going to S.C. big mistake!!! do you know if avoiding I-95 takes you too much out of the way?

 

[WDWisTheBest]

If you are near Clark's Summit, why not just drive down I-81 to I-77 to I-26 to I-95 to I-4? Much easier on the drivers.

 

[mep319]

It really depends on where you are in PA...don't know Mayfield...It is usually 16-18 hrs. I've driven from both the Harrisburg and Phila area. Believe it or not sometimes it is quicker from Harrisburg as you go 81 and miss DC/Baltimore traffic.

 

[pumpkinboy]

Mayfield is up near Scanton, isn't it? Northeast PA in any case. From the Scranton/W-B area, I'd go with the 81 to 77 then down to 95 and on to 4 to WDW. Lots of trucks, but otherwise a pretty drive thru the mountains. Maybe drive thru to SC, then get a motel once you're on 95, then an easy drive to WDW the next day.

just my $0.02.

 

[mareb66297]

thanks so much for all the info!! i really want to stay a way from I-95 thru Baltiomre to Richmond. hit that last summer.. the worst driving ever!!. if we do take I-81 down is there much of a time difference or is it woth taking I-95?

 

[mep319]

I live near Phila and cannot in my mind justifing going west to FL (My parents live in Hbg that is why I've taken both routes.) I would just leave late in the evening (somewhere between midnight and 2am) to be sure I was pass all the areas of concern before the AM rush. If you can do that I would not suggest going to 81.

 

[Familyof14]

Why can't your daughter fly? Our children flew well before they had their adenoid and tonsils taken out. Didn't even think that this operation was still being performed!
BTW - If the test come back OK, you should still have plenty of time to get the operation. Recovery for that operation is only a few days as well.
I do hope that your little girl is going to be fine. Have you ever noticed that your daughter bleed a lot when she was cut? Perhaps the results were wrong...I hope so and will say a prayer for her.

 

[mareb66297]

thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers. the doctor said that if she flys she will have awful ear pain because her adenoids are so bad. she is losing the hearing in her right ear and now the left is starting to be affected. plus she is starting to get a lot of ear infections. the hematologist told us it colud be a number of things.. my mind, of couse, can not name all of them. but if the blood work shows up something we have to take her to hershey medical center to a peds hematologist. so more time added before our trip! my brother died of leukemia so you know how my mind is reeling!!! just keep your fingers crossed!!

 

[twinsmom&dad]

I agree with mep319, We usually leave at night after work and we stop after richmond. Get a little rest and finish the drive the next day. Dw will not go around harrisburg anymore(we traveled that route numerous times with my parents). We like that there are more areas to stop for food and rest if we need(especially with the twins now!). We drove down to my parents home in march. They live in inverness fla. We only had trouble in pa as a result of snow storm!! We left at 1 am after dw got out of work. We could only do 15 mph on turnpike(could not see the road). Very nerve wracking!!! just mho. hope dd is ok.

 

[mareb66297]

great news!! saw the dr. today and he said dd is ok. the problem with her blood is being cause by the adenoids and tonsils!! so the operaton is back on.. we just have to get in in soon enough so she can recover before the flight!!! thank you for all your thoughts and prayers!! they really helped!!!

 

[Familyof14]

I'm so glad your dear daughter is going to be fine. Be sure that she takes her antibiotics after the operation. She may not want to because it hurts to swallow. We had to take our DD back to the ER because she would not take hers and became ill.

Before you know it, you will be on that airplaine and on the way to Magic land.

 

[gritzel4]

great news!! saw the dr. today and he said dd is ok. the problem with her blood is being cause by the adenoids and tonsils!! so the operaton is back on.. we just have to get in in soon enough so she can recover before the flight!!! thank you for all your thoughts and prayers!! they really helped!!!

Glad to hear that the clotting problem has been found. My DS just had an adenoidectomy and tonsilectomy and double ear tubes done in April. He laid on couch, slept, ate/drank nothing and was MISERABLE for 3-4 days after. His total time from school was one week. When are you scheduled to go to FL?

All the pain and misery is worth it. My DS can hear again and his speech is becoming clear. He no longer gags on his food or snores. In fact, he sleeps so quietly now that I touch his back to make sure he is breathing.

 

[wdwdvcdad]

driving down is half the fun people. great family bonding time! We look forward to the drive.






ok. I'm wierd.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by wdwdvcdad
driving down is half the fun people. great family bonding time! We look forward to the drive.






ok. I'm wierd.

No, not weird, but, I do question your sanity.

 

[wdwdvcdad]

Originally posted by GAIL HAYDEN
No, not weird, but, I do question your sanity.

Believe me, you are not the first! In fact, you're a repeat, I do believe!

Love ya gail!

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by wdwdvcdad
Believe me, you are not the first! In fact, you're a repeat, I do believe!

Love ya gail!

LOL, I somehow already knew that.
Love ya back.

 

[mareb66297]

ok i have to admit deep down.. I mean really deep down... i was kinda looking forward to driving. but i think our dd 18 and ds 15 would have drove us crazy!! but i think for all our sanity flying is the best way!


gritzel4.. i talked to the dr's office who is doing the operation really quick yesterday. and they gave me a date of june 29th... we are leaving on the 12th of july .. the more i sat and thought about it, i think thats' not enough time for recovery. but of course they were closed when i wanted to call them back. so now I have to wait until tuesday. plus vacations are starting where i work, so it's tough to get two days off.. but thr dr. will just have to work out something. the is another dr. in the pracice who i trust so mabey between the two of them we can get her in.

 

[gritzel4]

mareb66297:

A June 29th operation and a July 12th departure is 2 weeks. I know all people handle illness/recovery differently but IMHO she should be fine. The only real problem we had was DS not able to eat/drink anything for 2-3 days (he would vomit his medicine for pain) You might want to check with the Dr. about medication in a suppository form. Guaranteed to receive meds and you don't have to worry if they puked it up. Will her opereatin be out patient or in patient? BTW don't promise her all the ice cream she wants - it is forbidden for first 3-4 days.